Jessica Shane / en łÔąĎ±¬ÁĎ in the community: Community Engaged Learning /news/u-t-community-community-engaged-learning <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">łÔąĎ±¬ÁĎ in the community: Community Engaged Learning</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2014-06-09T06:12:58-04:00" title="Monday, June 9, 2014 - 06:12" class="datetime">Mon, 06/09/2014 - 06:12</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">At a workshop held by the community theatre group Jumblies, students drew pictures to accompany a multi-generational interview assignment they completed over the winter break (all photos by Nadia Molinari)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jessica-shane" hreflang="en">Jessica Shane</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Jessica Shane</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/new-college" hreflang="en">New College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/community" hreflang="en">Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Students experience the possibilities of the arts in a classroom setting</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>New College supports a number of programs that give students the chance to take the knowledge they have acquired in class and develop it in off-campus contexts.</em></p> <p><em>Community Engaged Learning, which pairs a seminar component with weekly hands-on work experience at local community organizations, is one such program.&nbsp;</em></p> <p><em><strong>Jessica Shane </strong>is&nbsp;a student in the Community Engaged Learning program and a volunteer with the community theatre group Jumblies. Below, Shane shares her reflections on the experience.</em></p> <p>I was really excited when I heard about the Community Engaged Learning program because I was eager to apply course material outside the classroom, as well as explore a potential career path. Toronto is such a dynamic city, but it’s easy to get caught up in the University of Toronto campus bubble. I was glad to find an opportunity to expand into the city.</p> <p>As a double major in Visual Studies and Women and Gender Studies, I am always looking for places where art and social justice intersect. When I found out about Jumblies, I found a place where this connection was central.</p> <p>Jumblies is a theatre company that works to create art in unexpected places. It “expands where art happens, who gets to be part of it, what forms it takes and which stories it tells” and “place[s] participants at the core of [its] projects”.</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/2014-06-06-jessica-shane-sized.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 350px; margin: 10px; float: right;">In the fall of 2013, I found myself working towards the creation of a community puppetry workshop and play in East Scarborough with a Jumblies offshoot called the Community Arts Guild. It was amazing to be involved with such a diverse group of people with so many skills and stories to share. This particular project was the third part of a triptych of projects revolving around the theme of “lost and found”. The play revolved around a story told by a Tamil senior citizen about losing and finding his son on a train in Sri Lanka. The setting of the train was intentionally ambiguous, and references to other forms of transport more familiar to various participants (such as a Toronto Transit Commission vehicle) were made, creating greater opportunity for participants to make personal connections to the narrative.</p> <p>Since the <a href="http://www.newcollege.utoronto.ca/academics/new-college-academic-programs/community-engaged-learning/">Community Engaged Learning program</a> launched in 2009, nearly 70 students have completed&nbsp; placements at 22 community organizations, addressing issues including disability, social justice, progressive and alternative media and arts in community building.</p> <p>Through my participation with Jumblies, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the importance of stories. I have begun to think about the voices that are not often heard in the traditional and often elitist art world, and what is made possible when they are, for both creators and audiences. Jumblies’ story-based productions work to bridge the gap between the server and the served by creating collaborative art-making spaces that are accessible and responsive to the community involved.</p> <p>Next semester, I’ll be helping at Jumblies’ new space downtown, which I know will present a new set of challenges and learning possibilities. I am looking forward to learning more about the organizational side of workshops and productions, because I imagine these skills will be useful for future professional endeavours.</p> <p>The Community Engaged Learning program is a class that is challenging, personal and adaptable in a way that my other classes are not. My experience has promoted valuable self-reflection and honed my leadership and interpersonal skills. I’m really grateful to have access to this program.</p> <p><em>Jessica Shane is a third-year student who is pursuing a double major in Women and Gender Studies and Visual Studies.&nbsp;</em>This story is part of a larger series on community-engaged learning opportunities at New College. (<a href="http://www.newcollege.utoronto.ca/news/community-engaged-learning-lessons-from-beyond-the-classroom/">Read about other students’ experiences</a>.)</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2014-06-06-jumblies-sized.jpg</div> </div> Mon, 09 Jun 2014 10:12:58 +0000 sgupta 6247 at